Central wins without leading scorer

Greeley Central basketball coach Troy Graefe said he hoped that Friday night’s win over the Centaurus Warriors chased the monkey off the Wildcats’ backs for the rest of the season.

With leading scorer Isiah Martinez not playing and left off the roster, the Wildcats (16-8) won a hard-fought first-round Class 4A State Basketball Tournament battle 45-41 in overtime Wednesday night in Jim Baggot Gym.

The Cats showed their hand early in the game as Graefe pushed the tempo on both ends of the court. Central had eight players sharing time from the outset as the pace reached the frantic level and stayed there.

“Coach told us at the beginning of the game that everyone had to be ready,” point guard Mike Elrick said. “Our scouting report on Centaurus said to pressure their guards so we did that all night long.”

The tempo was not conducive to scoring for either team as the first quarter ended 6-6, but the Wildcats tallied 13 points in the second quarter to take a 19-17 halftime lead. Brad Howell, the team leading scorer with 16, contributed five in the second period.

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“Coach always tells us to come out there with our heads up,” Howell said. “And Coach (Brett) Shaw told us defensively just to keep an eye on the ball and an eye on our man.”

Centaurus took a 33-32 lead at the end of three, but the Wildcats pulled back to a 41-39 lead late in the fourth quarter. Centaurus tied the game with 20 seconds left, but Central had the ball.

Howell drained a corner 3-point shot with 10 seconds showing only to realize the Wildcat bench had called time out just before the shot went up. The Cats final in-bounds play failed to produce a score.

But Howell had another shot left as he hit another 3-pointer with two minutes remaining in overtime. That shot would prove to be the winner as the Cats held the Warriors scoreless throughout the extra period. Wes Masi sank two free throws for Central’s final five-point margin.

“That kid is something else,” Graefe said of Howell. “When we play in the offseason, he is great for us offensively. Maybe tonight will be the turning point for him.”

Coach Graefe had praise for all of his players, singling out Lucas Sage for his defense and rebounding, and Ryan Shaw for on-the-floor leadership.

“I thought our kids off the bench did a great job of providing energy,” Graefe said. “Tonight is the first time we have played with that kind of energy for a long time.”